The running rat
by Dusios
Summary: A man lost in Gensokyo runs to find informations. Third of the reporter series.
1. Chapter 1

Oh my, what a rare sight. You're an outsider, aren't you?

Ha, I knew it. Most people stay in the village, the only one going outside are girls for some reason. And your clothes were obvious, I'm sorry to say it. Can I touch it?

Never really wondered about it. Guess they're afraid of everyone. Most of them are just staying in village, happy to live here without moving. If you see a man outside of the village, he's most probably an outsider, or a really powerful priest.

The Hieda girl could it explain it better than me, but I heard it had something to do with the blood. I the humans stick together, they're stronger than most youkai, while they're dead men walking if they go by themselves?

That's because I'm not a human, I'm a magician. I sometimes visit the village, but I prefer living in the forest by myself.

Not that kind of trick, I mean real magic.

The miko? Which one, Reimu or Sanae?

Reimu is a bit different. If you talk about power, while not being the strongest, she's far better than me. Of course, I always go easy on her, but to be honest, she also always go easy on me.

I'm talking about spells. What are you imagining?

No, she's not really alone. I mean, there's always someone visiting her.

I heard she had a sister, living in the village. But given her condition, I don't think they talk much. Reimu is a bit of a weirdo, to be honest. Usually, humans stick together, that's a natural thing to do. She doesn't really care about what or who she's befriending. If you visit her shrine, you may encounter vampires, zombies, hermits, robots, a talking turtle, and a maid.

Ha, you already met the maid. Her name's Sakuya, you know? For a person living in a western mansion, she has a strange name, but I'm sure you don't want to hear that from me. I made her clothes, by the way, I'm sure you noticed how good she looks in them.

Yeah, hang on. That's not yours. How did you got it?

She gave it to you? You better take care of it.

Her name's Reimu Hakurei. You may find her sister in the village, but I don't know if she has the same family name...

Hey, where are you going?


	2. Chapter 2

You're still not dead?

Well, you're that guy walking around and talking with youkai, right? How are you still alive?

Ha, she explained you that? Yes, Margatroid is a nice person. Unlike most youkai, she won't attack you on sight. Well, I'm complaining, but according to most people, youkai were worse back in the days.

I think the term is "mellowed". But I say that, I never actually left the village.

The miko... You mean Reimu? Yeah, we're relatives. Why?

Calm down, please, you're difficult to understand. That's a bit complicated. You see, when she was a baby, the kannushi- I mean the priest, my grandfather, came from that old shrine and took her away.

You have to ask the priest himself.

She has to be neutral. If she has family in the village, and if the village was attacked, she could go on a rampage, and from the few I understood, that would screw everything up.

Something about balance.

I'm not sure of anything. Grandpa explained everything when I was a kid, and I never asked again. It's not my business, you see? I don't really care about Gensokyo.

Mmmm? He's tall, extremely skinny, and he wears glasses.

You don't get it, she's family, yeah. But that's all. I never met her, and she never cared about us. Even among the youkai hunters, she's beyond everyone. You ever saw her in action? It's like watching a kid throwing explosives everywhere.

Killing her? Why would anyone want to do that?

Are you really sure about that?

I don't think there's anyone to warn, but you should probably go warn her yourself. She probably won't listen to you, but it'll be a start.

Following you? Why?

I'm not sure it'll work, I told you, she doesn't even know my face.

Okay, okay. I'll go with you.


	3. Chapter 3

Gideon Moran has been a failure. The reporter died as he lived, failing everything he tried. One could argue that finding a hidden land sealed in a pocket dimension was an achievement, but we all know that it isn't one. It is merely a requirement for the whole story to happen. If Gideon failed at finding "Gensokyo", everything would have been all right.

And thus, the reporter's willingness to write down "history", as he called it, ended up causing a tragedy. The woman that followed him... Her body will probably be found. But his corpse would stay unseen and unknown to everyone. If everything went according to the plan, the reporter would be blamed for the murder.

The murderer tore pages of the notebook, throwing the uninteresting, boring stuff about vampires, lying people, but keeping the pages talking about the Hakurei. Once it was done, he tried the clothes the reporter was wearing, but he quickly gave up and threw them on the ground, next to the woman's mutilated body. Villagers, and therefore everyone, would most likely blame the reporter for the whole mess. And it wouldn't be a lie to say he was responsible for all this. Asking questions like that, willing to "record history". The poor guy should have knew that, sometimes, it's best to let truth slip away. That's how legend are created, after all.

His deed being done, the murderer started walking.

By the time he reached his destination, the sun was setting, which was perfect for him. Hiding in the woods, he pulled several metallic pieces from his bag, and assembled them together in a crude and complicated mechanism.

The machine ready, he loaded it, laid down in the grass, and started aiming. In front of him, at maybe one hundred, one hundred and fifty meters, was a derelict shrine. It was a difficult shot, given the wind, but the murderer was experienced. The only thing he missed was a spotter, being alone was lonely.

A sudden gust of wind passed, shaking the trees, tearing leaves, and shaking the windows. In the shrine, someone moved to close and lock them. Patiently, the man waited as the unseen person moved around the building, closing all openings, protecting herself from the cold wind.

Finally, he saw her, as she left the building to inspect the box in front of her house. His machine was aiming at her head as she inspected the empty, because sighing in relief.

"Good thing it's still here..."

He saw her walking away from the box, hurrying up toward the building, probably eager to get some hot tea. As she walked inside and closed the door behind her, he shoot her in the face.

There was a small cry as the girl fell on her back, blood splattering the walls of the shrine. The murderer was cold-blooded and extremely violent, but not stupid. That girl had friends, very powerful friends. Running to the shrine and taking a second shot was a risk. So, without wasting time, he stood, started taking his gun to pieces, while calmly walking away.

Time was the essence, and he had to move while the Hakurei Border was weakened.


End file.
